Federal Transportation Infrastructure

A Well-Designed Transport Network

Transport infrastructure is the lifeblood of the Great Lakes Region, the most integrated and one of the largest economies in the world. The Great Lakes needs transportation infrastructure policy and funding that creates jobs now and supports the metro regions that operate as global gateways and centers of trade and commerce. Transport policy must encourage projects with significant regional potential and national impact and focus on trade corridors which will help get manufactured, agricultural, and mined goods to market. Over time, our nation must get to an intermodal transport strategy, similar to our competitors

First priority is passage of a Surface Transportation Reauthorization bill. Our Coalition favors:
• Reauthorization of at least two years and preferably six
• Priority for projects the strengthen regional trade corridors, drive economic development, and create permanent jobs
• Support for public transportation within and among urban centers
• Expedited project permitting processes
• Flexible options for state and local governments
• Financing tools such as infrastructure banks – state or federal
• Additional revenues to maintain and build our critical supply chain assets
See our most recent white paper for more details. Other key elements of the Coalition’s transportation infrastructure agenda include:

Federal investment in the region equivalent to the revenues received from the region. (Over the past 10 (?) years, we’ve been doing significantly better.)

Policy and incentives that encourage appropriate, efficient intermodal and multimodal development

High speed rail connections among major metro centers

Passage of a Water Resources Development reauthorization

Passage of a Great Lakes Short Sea Shipping Act

Revisions to the Harbor Maintenance Act to encourage SSS

Full utilization of the harbor dredging funds

Maintenance and development of ports, locks and dams on the region’s waterways

Simplified and flexible processes for the most efficient use of public resources